Advertisement

CIA vet says Iraq pre-war data was bogus

WASHINGTON, April 24 (UPI) -- A retired CIA veteran is disputing U.S. President George Bush's claim that there was faulty intelligence on Iraq in the run-up to the war.

Tyler Drumheller, who worked for the CIA for 26 years and ended up directing covert operations for Europe until retiring a year ago, told CBS News it became evident Bush was going to invade Iraq regardless of what the intelligence said.

Advertisement

"It just sticks in my craw every time I hear them say it's an intelligence failure. This was a policy failure," Drumheller said.

At issue was a 2001 report from the Italian intelligence service that Saddam Hussein had bought 500 tons of uranium in order to build a nuclear bomb. But Drumheller said many CIA analysts were skeptical, and said so.

Drumheller also said the Bush administration paid no heed to Naji Sabri, Iraq's foreign minister, who had made a deal to reveal military secrets, and who said there were no secret weapons.

"The policy was set," Drumheller said. "The war in Iraq was coming. And they were looking for intelligence to fit into the policy, to justify the policy."

Advertisement

Latest Headlines